Kniss, “Hoot” – Died 1901

KNISS

Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 5/19/2024 at 21:00:44

Source: Decorah Republican May 2, 1901 P 2 C 1

CUT HIS THROAT.
"Hoot” Kniss Commits Suicide while Apparently Suffering From Delirium Tremens.
Last night about six o’clock, when Herman Becker, bus driver at the St. Cloud Hotel, went up to throw down some hay for his horses, he found a man lying in the hay apparently asleep. A little closer inspection showed blood upon the man's face and in the hay. Fearing that something was wrong be sought Sheriff Christen and took him to the barn. The man proved to be “Hoot” Kniss. He was dead and two cuts in his neck showed where he had stabbed himself with a jack knife that was still in his hand.
Coroner Jewell was called and an inquest held in the parlor of the St Cloud Hotel. Messrs. E. L. Coffeen, P. McCusker and J. N Topliff were impanelled as juryman, C. N. Houck acted as clerk, and Becker, George Graham, Jr., Wm. Mueller and George Bueneke were summoned as witnesses.
Becker told of finding the body. Graham told of meeting deceased in the morning on the street and that be appeared to be very drunk. Mueller testified that Kniss had called him to the alley leading to the St. Cloud barn, saying he wanted to go up in the hay mow and lie down because he was afraid the marshal would arrest him and put him in jail. He helped Kniss up into the mow, and some time later when he went up there Kniss asked him to lie down by him. That was the last time he saw him alive. Bueneke, who is the bar tender for P. W. Boyd, testified that he saw Kniss Tuesday night at about ten o’clock and he was then apparently sober. He next saw him at 5:10 in the morning when he went to open up the saloon. Kniss, who had been assisting in cleaning up the place every morning for the past month, attended to his duties, did not drink anything and departed about seven o’clock, but complained of not feeling well. Bueneke saw him again between eight and nine o’clock sitting in front of the Posten office and Kniss was then apparently quite sick. That was the last time he saw him alive. To Bueneke’s knowledge deceased had not been drinking much for a week past.
Statements made to Coroner Jewell, but which were not introduced as evidence, tended to show that previous to going to the barn Kniss showed unmistakable signs of delirium tremens.
The verdict of the jury was to the effect that deceased came to his death by his own hand.
Wounds on the neck showed that he made one incision which did not prove fatal and made a second under the right ear which severed an artery and from which he bled to death.
Kniss has been drinking quite heavily off and on all winter and spring and has been seen drunk several times in the past month.